When he's not making Sundays miserable for opposing quarterbacks, Clay Matthews is interested in lending a helping hand.

It's why the third-year linebacker of the Green Bay Packers has thrown his name behind muscular dystrophy's CureDuchenne and other less-publicized causes.

Now, he's out to promote AIDS Walk Wisconsin.

Matthews has been appointed honorary chair of the event and on Tuesday taped a message for the event, which will take place Saturday at Milwaukee's Henry Maier Festival Park (Summerfest grounds).

He doesn't think his schedule will allow him to attend in person - the Packers play the Denver Broncos on Sunday - but he wanted to encourage and thank those who will support the event.

The AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin (ARCW) reports that more than 6,300 people in Wisconsin have HIV / AIDS.

And landing Matthews as an honorary chair - Magic Johnson, Paul Molitor and Bud Selig have served in this role in the past - gives ARCW another big name to draw attention to its fund-raising needs for its medical center, clinics and pharmacy in Milwaukee and Green Bay.

"It's something I just wanted to give back to," said Matthews. "Beyond the fact that it's a great honor to be chair, it's something that I am truly all about, and that's giving back to the state that has given so much to me."

Matthews has always been conscientious of his celebrity and using it as a way to help good causes. He and his brother Kyle looked after a young football fan, Logan McGovern, who has cystic fibrosis. Matthews also attended charity dinners in Los Angeles during the off-season.

His experience with his public service announcement with CureDuchenne was so rewarding it helped lead to him signing up with AIDS Walk Wisconsin because he saw the impact he could have.

"They continued to play that PSA through the BCS bowl games," said Matthews. "They've made tremendous strides and are now in human clinical trials. They let me know that just because I was able to kind of bring awareness, its really gained special attention.

"They're making progress to the point where a cure might be within reach."

Debra and Paul Miller, who started CureDuchenne, found Matthews' involvement pivotal to their cause.

"Almost half a million dollars was raised as a result of you and Cadillac letting the world know about Duchenne," they wrote Matthews. "One of the big obstacles we face with Duchenne is lack of funding from government agencies and interest from pharmaceutical companies.

"Government and pharmaceuticals are more likely to support a disease the public is vocal about. Because Clay Matthews cares about Duchenne, a lot of people who watch football care about Duchenne."

Winning a Super Bowl is one thing. Helping an organization come closer to a cure is something else, and Matthews loves being a part of it.

"That puts it all in perspective, that all this other stuff with football is very trivial compared to some people who are fighting for their lives," said Matthews. "That's why I get involved."

Matthews doesn't have any close friends with AIDS, but he saw an opportunity with AIDS Walk Wisconsin to help. He was overcome with the severity of the disease and the sheer numbers of people who are still affected by it.

Matthews' goal is to get the word out to the public and raise more money through donations and participation in the AIDS Walk. His involvement seems to be helping already.

As a member of the defending Super Bowl champions, who was fourth in the NFL with 13½ sacks last season and second to Pittsburgh's Troy Polamalu in defensive player of the year voting, Matthews has already helped bring corporate sponsorships on board, said one of ARCW's top officials.

"The truth is AIDS Walk Wisconsin and Clay Matthews see eye to eye because we both know what it is like to be underdogs," said Dan Mueller, vice president and chief development officer for ARCW. "It's easy to look at Clay and see him as the world champion, but it wasn't too long ago that he was a walk-on for USC. He has had to work for every bit of success he has achieved.

"When you are in the fight against AIDS, you, too, feel like an underdog against a very deceptive and complex disease, one with no cure. Clay inspires us that when we all get on the same team we will be stronger and more successful in this fight."